Department of Agriculture to host summer camp for grant fellows

By Casey Torrance University News Service June 6, 2012

The Texas State University-San Marcos Department of Agriculture will host a summer camp funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (USDA-NIFA HIS) on June 8-10.

Titled Food Safety and Agroterrorism Training: Educating our Future Workforce, the $850,000 grant will be used to offset educational costs for 50 Hispanic students from Laredo Community College, Palo Alto College, Northwest Vista College and Texas State.

The students will be trained by Project Director Doug Morrish and Co-Project Director Ryan Saucier at the camp to recognize the threats of agroterrorism and to handle food and agriculture incidents. Billy Dictson, director for the Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center in Las Cruces, N.M., will also aid in training.

Upon completion of the workshop, students will receive a certificate from the Department of Homeland Security. All students from the community colleges will be transferring to Texas State with majors in agriculture, biology, nutrition, chemistry and resource and environmental studies.

The camp will also introduce the students to life on the Texas State campus. Students will be housed in dorms and will utilize the dining halls during their stay.